


Midnight Blue Scales

by ArdentLake



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Explanations, Full on panic attack, Healing, Kidnapping, M/M, Not Wearing Underwear, Tea, The house the house the house is on fire, Thunderstorms, Waking Up, demon!rhett, dragon person!link, some blood, tail
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-29
Updated: 2019-06-29
Packaged: 2020-05-28 19:10:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19400557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArdentLake/pseuds/ArdentLake
Summary: In the summer of 2002, Link Neal finds himself with what seems like a weird skin disease. What happens when his condition is not what it seems?





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there and welcome to Midnight Blue Scales! This is a Rhink re-write of an original story I wrote in high school. I hope you enjoy!

Midnight Blue Scales

Chapter 1

After what seemed like hours, Link threw the covers off himself. A combination of itchy skin, thunder, and an empty house left him unable to sleep. Glancing at his alarm clock, he read the time. 12:15. Link got up with a yawn and carefully scratched himself for the millionth time with his strange claw-like nails as he padded out of his room to the kitchen. Flicking on the lights, he moved to the tea cabinet next to the stove.

He went through the motions of making some decaf Paris tea in the hopes it would calm him down. Link settled into his seat at the table, quietly sipping his tea. He eyed his nails and frowned at them.

Until a few days ago, he had been completely normal. Then, his parents told him his grandfather had died. Link had never really known his grandfather, so he wasn't really affected by his death. All he knew was the occasional card and money that he received for his birthday. No one had ever explained his absence and he had never asked.

But now, his nails had become thick and sharp and his skin had developed strange dry, itchy patches all over. Link had gone to his doctor and a dermatologist to figure out what was happening. A sliver of his skin had been taken to examine and diagnose the problem.

Until then, he had to deal with his incredibly itchy skin and overly sharp nails. Link hated it, wanting to scratch to relieve the itching but couldn't. If he tried, he would tear his skin and bleed everywhere.

The thought of him bleeding made him feel woozy, and he shook the gory thought out of his head. With trembling fingers, he lifted his mug to inhale the scent of bergamot, vanilla, and caramel. He let his eyelids flutter closed as he took a sip and sighed.

Link had been, strangely, craving warmth despite the already hot and sticky weather. Just another oddity to add to the list since his grandfather died. Who knew if any more would appear? He hoped not.

Finally draining his delicious tea, he rinsed out the cup and flipped it upside down on the drying towel. He retreated back to his room, absently noting the thunder getting louder.

Link decided to pop in a CD back in his room, picking one of his current favorites. He had a feeling that Daniel Johns' vocals would get him to sleep, as they were quite soothing. Throwing the disk into his boombox, he pressed the skip button.

_Breathe in the night that crushed a tired sunrise  
Born again, the day brings young naivety_

He settled onto the bed, letting the music fill his ears, hopefully covering the thunder. Link knew the lyrics to the songs on this album are sad, but the vocals were so soothing that he couldn’t help but love it. He bundles himself under his blankets and settles in.

He cleared his mind of his problems and curled up, ready for wonderful sleep. He had just drifted off when a brilliant flash of lightning and a crack of thunder so loud the house shook broke through his reverie. Link jolted out of bed with a shout, hands clutching his arms and sweat broke out all over his body. He realized the power went out and cursed under his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glow coming through his window and clutched his arms a little harder.

The sweat tingled unpleasantly against the dry patches on his skin as he rushed to the window. He pushed the light curtains aside to see a fire growing on the shed in the backyard.

"Shit!" Link exclaimed and grabbed his Samsung SGH-T100. He flipped it open to call 911, running for the back door. He watched with wild eyes, waiting for the operator to pick up.

An enormous hand appeared, taking the phone from Link's hand. The phone clicked shut softly. His eyes went wide and he turned around to find an eerily grinning face right in front of his own. Link felt another jolt of adrenaline in his system as his knees gave out. The growing fire flickered orange and yellow on the strange figure, making them seem hellish.

"You're not going to need this where you're going, Dragonkin Scion," leered the monstrous creature. They threw the phone over their shoulder into the fire, making Link let out a quiet meep. They leaned down in an impossible way and pressed their clawed fingertips to Link's forehead. A wave of exhaustion fell over him.

He fell forward into the thing’s arms, eyes slowly fluttering shut. He drifted into unconsciousness, not knowing what was in store for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of gratitude to @Pintsizedrogue, @ChibiTabatha, and @MythicalCatie for being such nice betas.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link wakes up to find himself somewhere strange.

Midnight Blue Scales

Chapter 2

The first thing Link noticed when he woke up was how hot it was. It pressed in on him, made him feel like he was shriveling up like a prune. He groggily opened his eyes to see stalactites looming above him. He felt disoriented as he furrowed his eyebrows and stared intently at the rock formations, Link tried to keep his breath steady as he sat up, knowing he’d be useless if he spiraled into a panic attack.

A dark and rocky room filled his vision. Black and warped things filled the room. Link thought it could be furniture, but he wasn’t sure. It was just so strange. He focused back on the craggy walls encircling the room, noticing they appeared to shimmer with heat. His hands were shaking with anxiety, so he shoved them into his armpits in an attempt to keep them still. Link curled in on himself a little, trying to list the facts in his head to stay calm.

There had been a lightning strike in his backyard. It had set the shed on fire and he had run outside. That's where he met an unknown person. They had kidnapped him and now he was in a place with an unfamiliar ceiling.

After a few moments, he took several deep breaths and shoved himself off the bed. He looked down at himself, noticing for the first time that he did wasn’t wearing his pajamas. His shirt was loose and peach-pink in color. It was incredibly soft and silky. His shorts were black and ended just above mid-thigh on him, the length made him a little uncomfortable. It made his skin crawl to think a stranger had dressed him. He yanked his shorts open at the thought. Link breathed a sigh of relief to see he still had on his boxer-briefs. 

Letting his shorts snap back, he eyed a large and heavy looking door. Link decided to try and figure out if he could escape. His hopes were dashed when the door didn’t budge. In a flash of anger, he punched the door and let out a yelp as a bolt of pain ran through his hand. He knew he should work on his temper and he was trying. It was just a work in progress.A slow work in progress. He clutched his hand and tried to take a close look to make sure it wasn’t broken.

The room he was in was dimly lit, so he couldn’t see much but that to be his hand appeared unbroken. What he did notice clearly were dark splotches on his hands and arms. His nose scrunched in disgust, realizing it looked like he had dirt all over him. Link tried to wipe it off but it was crusted on, making him shiver. He thought it could be mud or even shit and wanted to wash it off now. If he knew where he could.

“There better be a damn place to wash off,” Link mumbled as he glanced around the room. He saw what looked like an open door next to a large wardrobe. He padded over to it, taking in carvings of demonic figures frolicking with strange scaled figures. Link touched the curve of the flared wing of one of the scaled beings. Something surged deep within him before it roared up to the surface. He snatched his hand away as the roaring escaped his mouth in a puff of smoke. 

Link stared after the smoke as it drifted away toward the ceiling, wide eyed and open mouthed. His hand rose slowly and touched his lips, skin creeping along his whole body. Link slipped his arms around himself out of fear, but sprung them apart when he remembered the crusted mud and, shit he needed a shower.

With one last glance at the wardrobe, he walked into the open door. He found a spacious bathroom with a large bathtub and a sink, roughly cut from the strange muddy red rock. It was then that Link realized there was no obvious light source.

“This place just gets weirder and weirder,” Link mumbled. He padded over to the bathtub and played with the knobs until he had just the right temperature. He took off his absurd new clothing and laid it gently on the sink. He sank into the warm water and started to scrub with a red, flame-shaped bar of soap.

Several moments later, he washed all the soap off, but saw the hardened mud still sticking to his skin. Scowling, he scrubbed even harder, but it didn’t work. He took a closer look at himself. Everything seemed clean enough and the hard bits were even glistening. Glistening like incredibly dark blue Mother of Pearl. His mouth fell open as he realized he was looking at scales. Panic-stricken, he stood up and looked down at himself. The midnight blue scales whorled in elegant patterns all over his body, having taken the place of the rough skin. Link ripped the plug out of the drain and slipped out of the bathtub. Dripping water on the floor, he stumbled over to the sink and looked in the mirror. Pale with shock, his eyes roamed all over his face until they landed on the curving horns just starting to peek out from his hair. They gleamed the same midnight blue as his scales.

Grabbing one of the horns loosely with a claw tipped hand, his breathing started coming faster. He just wanted to be home. He wanted his Mom. He wanted his Dad. He wanted his room. Link balled his hands in his hair, tears pouring down his face. He fell to his knees, hyperventilating. He couldn’t catch his breath and started thrashing about, going into utter panic. He had been trying to stave this off since he woke up and nothing could stop it from rolling over him. Link fell all the way to the floor, tearing at himself with his claws, short, primal screams escaping him.  
\---------------------------------------------

Two demons made their way down a long hallway. They were both tall, but one was taller than the other and handsome to boot. They were almost to the Dragon Room when they heard the panic-stricken screaming. They glanced at each other and took off at a run. Almost slamming into the door, the taller one hurriedly unlocked it with a series of gestures. They rushed in and glancing around, they saw the Dragonkin Scion was nowhere to be seen. But… 

They heard the screaming coming from the bathroom and jogged over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to @thefrenchmaidoutfit for betaing!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Link learns why he was kidnapped.

The two demons burst into the bathroom to see the Dragonkin Scion thrashing on the floor, bleeding out from cuts all over his arms. The taller one grabbed a towel from the wardrobe. He glanced at the other demon and made a curt gesture.

"Go wait outside. I can deal with this," said the bigger demon. The other nodded and moved outside. He turned his attention to the panicking Dragonkin Scion and squatted down.

"My name is Rhe'ttvaloth. I know you're in a strange place and you’re scared, but I need you to listen closely to my voice, ok? You need to come back down from your panic. You're hurting yourself and I need to explain what's going on. Can you try to breathe with me, Dragonkin Scion?" Rhe'ttvaloth gently placed his hand on the panicking man's back and rubbed in gentle, soothing circles. "Take a nice, deep breath in. One, two, three, four, five. Now take a deep breath out. One, two, three, four, five. You're doing great." Rhe'ttvaloth did this several times until the Dragonkin Scion had turned to look at him, eyes steady and clear. 

"Why do you keep calling me that? My name is Link, ok? Call me Link." Link scanned Rhe'ttvaloth, taking him in. Golden brown and dark red hair rose from his head in flame-like waves before being swooped back. His neatly trimmed beard was the same color as his hair. His eyes reminded Link of the green-gray of summer storms while they regarded him calmly. Bone white horns stuck out from his temples, straight up with gentle curves at the tip. He was incredibly handsome. Link shook his head and sat up. Rhe'ttvaloth handed over the towel and Link grabbed it to quickly tie it around his hips.

"You said you were going to explain what's going on, so out with it. Who are you? What are you? Where in the hell are we? I just want to go home!"

The demon nodded and sighed in response."I understand and I will explain but I would like to look at your arms first, Link." said Rhe'ttvaloth gently.

"Alright, but I still want to know what’s going on!" Link holds his arms out to the demon, showing him the slashes he made. Rhe'ttvaloth softly took his arms and traced a finger around each cut, murmuring under his breath. A red glow surrounded Link's arms as the demon worked, the cuts slowly dwindling to mere scratches. When he was done, he took his hands away and looked up at Link. Link's mouth hung open and his eyes were wide, shocked at the near-instant healing. He swallowed, his large Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "T-thank you. I really appreciate that. B-but can you tell me what's going on now, please?"

"It's no problem, I didn't want you bleeding out. It could cause problems for me and my family," said Rhe'ttvaloth, running a hand through his hair. Link startled and opened his mouth to say something but the demon raised his hand in a gesture to stop. "I'm sure that raised more questions, but I can answer those. As I said, my name is Rhe'ttvaloth and I am a demon. I hate to tell you this but we are in Hell. This has been a long time coming for you, Link, as the Dragonkin Scion. The last one, your grandfather, just died. We need you to take his place."

"Wait! I don't understand. My grandfather was a Dragonkin Scion? What does that even mean?!" Link held his arms tightly to himself, scared and confused.

"You've never seen him, right?" Link nodded. "You never met him because of his role here. There is a short period of time where they are allowed to go to The World Above to find a human to produce a child with but otherwise, they are not allowed to leave. It’s an archaic and stupid system, but everyone insists the Dragonkin Scions are imperative to our existence. I know this is all a shock to you, but there’s nothing either of us can do. I will do what I can, as the son of the Keeper, to make you as comfortable as possible but that is all I can offer. I really am sorry you have to go through this. Be warned not everyone here will feel that way. They may treat you with respect, but not kindness." Rhe'ttvaloth stood up and held his hand out to Link. Link took his hand timidly, simultaneously fearful and slightly comforted. This demon seemed nice enough to him, he had helped heal the cuts on Link's arms after all. Above all the questions swimming in his mind, one stood out.

"I'm a Dragonkin Scion, right? I don't understand what that means. Please tell me." Link looks up at Rhe'ttvaloth beseechingly. The demon led him over to the wardrobe and pointed out the scaled beings Link noticed earlier.

"These are the Dragonkin. When we first Fell into Hell, they were here. We fought with them for a thousand years over land and humans. It was a bloody war that ravaged The World Above. Humans came up with all sorts of myths to explain the havoc around them, including the tale of the great flood. The Dragonkin and the Demons finally came to a truce and agreed on settling opposite sides of Hell, with a few stipulations. The biggest one was to Keep one of their Scions with us for the rest of eternity, replacing with a new Scion whenever the old one passed away. No one has really explained to me why we do this but I suspect the Dragonkin may gain some advantage from it." Link reached out to touch the wardrobe but, remembering the smoke from earlier, he let his hand fall.

"Can I ask you two more questions?"

"Of course you can." Link shifts from one to the other.

"First of all, can I call you Rhett? Your full name is kind of hard to pronounce. Also, will my body become more.. monstrous?"

"Of course you can call me Rhett. I wouldn't call it monstrous but yes, your body will continue to change. Your horns will get bigger and wings will grow from your back. You will also gain a few powers that you will be taught how to control, but that should be the extent of the changes." Link leaned against the rocky wall, his face in his hands.

"So, now what? Tell me, do I just sit around in this room for the rest of my life? I’m never going home again, I’m stuck in Hell until I die? You understand, right?" He looked up at Rhett, tears streaming down his face. Rhett placed his hand on Link's shoulder and squeezed gently.

"I understand your concern, don't worry about that. However, you won't be forced to stay in this room. You can go wherever you want as long as one of us is with you. I will try to make sure it's me or my head of guard, Apozeh. In fact, I would love to take you on a bit of a tour before dinner tonight." Rhett held his arm out, smiling. Link looked at it and back to Rhett's face.

"Why are you being so kind to me?" Rhett let his arm drop, his face falling into a somber expression coming over his face.

"I've been asked that all my life."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to pintsizedrogue to making this sound way smoother than it was originally!


	4. Chapter 4

Link felt confused about Rhett's admission but sensed he didn't want to talk about it. Rhett's body language and stormy expression made that clear.

"I would appreciate it if you showed me around, Rhett. Just let me change. I’d be embarrassed walking around in only a towel." Rhett noticeably brightened at the subject change and agreed. Link was blindsided by Rhett's smile and looked down in sudden shyness. That was when he noticed Rhett had a tail. A long, black, and slender tail that moved in sinuous circles. He was immediately drawn to it, it looked smooth as snake skin. Link wanted to touch it to see if it was as smooth and silky as it seemed but refrained. Animals didn’t like their tails touched so he assumed Rhett didn't either, even if Link wanted to touch. His eyes slid back up to Rhett's and smiled back shakily.

"There should be plenty of clothing in the wardrobe. Go ahead and change. I'll be right here." Rhett slipped his fingers together in a loose, low clasp in front of him, smiling.

"Can I ask you for a favor? It would make me uncomfortable for you to watch me change so could you turn around please?" Rhett nodded, smiled, and turned around. Link didn't understand why this demon was being so nice. Demons are demons and they are supposed to be cruel, not sweet as Moravian cookies. The thought made him want Moravian cookies, a whole tin of them. Alas, he was in Hell and had to make do without. Link's eyes trailed back down to Rhett's tail and was temporarily mesmerized by it. He certainly wasn’t distracted by his perfectly round ass, encased by black leather. It was tight and perfect. Link shook himself and checked out the wardrobe, hoping to see something besides short shorts. As luck would have it, there was something else! Unfortunately, they were leather pants and Link really did not want to try and squeeze himself into a pair.

Link picked out a white pair of short shorts and a cobalt blue shirt before realizing there wasn't any underwear. It didn't bother him too much; he liked to go commando sometimes. It took a little getting used to at first, the feeling of seams rubbing on his dick. It made him feel free and a little kinky. He slipped his clothing on with a bit of a devious smile and turned to tell Rhett he was done when a question crossed his mind. _Does Rhett go commando too?_ Link bit his bottom lip at the thought, eyes glued to Rhett's rear end. _Cut it out. He's a demon, remember? You shouldn't lust after a demon._ Link mentally shook himself and walked up to Rhett, tapping his shoulder.

"Oh, you're done!" Rhett eyed him up and down appreciatively, reaching out to brush something off the shoulder. "That's a nice color on you. I like it. Shall we go then?" Link tugged his shorts with apprehension.

"I was wondering if I could have some other kind of shorts to wear. Don't get me wrong, these are super soft but m'not thrilled with the length. Plus, they're a little tight." Link pulled on his shorts again, cheeks burning red.

"Oh, that's my fault! I read these shorts were in fashion so I had them made up. We can go talk to Instasah and have him fashion some new shorts for you out of Hell Cotton."

"I'm sorry, Hell Cotton? What the HECKIE?!" At Link's unusual phrase, Rhett let out a bark of laughter but slapped a hand over his mouth to stop it. It was obvious he was smiling under his hand, cheeks bunched up into little apples. He managed to relax his smile and brought his hand down, but his eyes still twinkled with amusement.

"Yes, Hell Cotton. It's a plant we use to make some of our clothing. It grows by the Strafrock Lava River, which is about 2 1/2 Prongs from here." Link looked at him in growing confusion.

"I really don't know what you mean by any of this. We don't use words like Prongs to describe distance at home. We use inches, feet, and miles. And a Lava River?" Link looked at Rhett wild-eyed at the mere idea.

"Ah shit, Link. I forgot you don't use Strikes, Chains, and Prongs on The World Above. I completely forgot what I was taught but I can dig up my old scrolls to look the conversions up. Either way, it's kind of far. But it's nothing to worry about. Instasah is sure to have plenty on hand. We ready to go?" Link nodded tentatively. They exited Link's bedroom to see Apozeh standing just outside. When Link saw him, the memory of being abducted flashed through his mind. He recognized Apozeh as the demon that took him. He moved behind Rhett, hands coming up to his chest in fear as Apozeh moved towards them. Rhett's Head of Guard raised his right hand with his palm out and grasped his elbow with his left hand in a salute. Link wasn't really sure if it was one.

"Rhe'ttvaloth, Dragonkin Scion. Is everything settled?" Link shifted further behind Rhett as Apozeh's coppery eyes bore into him.

"Yes, Link is fine now. We decided to take a walk around so he can see our complex but before we do that, I should really introduce the two of you. Link, this is Apozeh. He is my Head of Guard and is incredibly loyal to me. I know he is the one that took you from The World Above but believe me, he was only following my father's orders. He will not hurt you, I promise." Rhett reached around and gently pressed him forward to greet the absurdly muscular demon. _Is he a demon or is he a wall?_ Link sucked in a deep breath and timidly put his hand out.

"I know we already met," said Link. "But hi, I'm Link. Your new Dragonkin Scion, I guess. It's, er, nice to meet you?" Apozeh stared at him for a few moments and slowly cracked a smile, showing sharp and thick teeth. He grasped Link's hand and shook it firmly.

"Yes, well met. I know I frightened you but as Rhe'ttvaloth said, I will not harm you. Neither will anyone else, I guarantee it." He grinned widely and showed off his tree trunk like arms.

"Apozeh," Rhett interrupted. "I need to speak with you about something." They drew aside, speaking a language Link did not understand. There were some hand gestures to go along with their words and soon, Apozeh walked off with a wave. "So, here we go! I don't think we're going to look at the entire cavern because it would take too long, especially with the ritual at the 19th spill." A creeping feeling worked its’ way up Link’s spine.

“What ritual?” Rhett grimaced and raked a hand through his hair.

“There is a ritual you have to go through to become the Dragonkin Scion, officially. It can be a little intense, from what I learned, but I will be with you the whole time so don’t worry.” Rhett gently laid his hands on Link’s shoulders, looking him in the eye. “I promise I will keep you safe.” Link nodded.

“I-I will hold you to it. Can we get started on the tour, though? I’d love to see what you want to show me.” Link smiled tentatively at Rhett and he smiled back.

“I’m actually really excited to show you Strafrock and Lotbhil Grotto! I bet you’ll love it!” They started walking off down the hallway together, Rhett’s hand resting on Link’s shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't say enough about pintsizedrogue's beta work! She's been brilliant.


End file.
